[revrew]

"I'm not doing it anymore, you son of a--"

"Hey, is that any way to talk to your old friend, Kendall?"

"Friend, Jeffrey? Do you even know what that means? 'Friend'? Does a friend really use a friend's sick child to manipulate him into his selfish whims over and over again? It's been twenty years, Jeffrey! Let it go. I'm not going to screw over the citizens of New Orleans for you. Not now. Not after Katrina. The answer is no."

"Spare me the pity party and pretentious piety, 'friend.' I don't grieve over New Orleans. That city has been a living example of everything that is wrong with the South, everything I'm working to change. 'Line up all the black women in this district, line up all the white women in this district, then bring all the carpetbaggers down to get drunk and get their way!' I don't think so. Now, do what I tell you to do."

"Well, that's a fine attitude. But the answer is no, and what's with this heavy 'do what I tell you' crap?"

"You will."

"No, I won't."

"Do you remember, Kendall, when I asked you to cover me by setting up that phantom corporation years ago?"

"I'm supposed to forget?"

"No. You're supposed to remember. And remember well. You will do what I tell you to do, or I shall reveal what you did. You're the one who conducted the transaction. You're the one who set up the phony company. You're the one who would go to prison if you were ever found out."

"You're threatening me? With prison?"

"No, I'm just pointing out where the chips have fallen. So you can make a wise decision, instead of a stupid one."

"The chips? What about the chips where you stole from clients' accounts? Where you laundered funds to pay for Andrew's medical bills? You'd be prison-bound for that yourself."

"I'm sorry, Kendall. I had hoped we would remain friends through this. But that's no longer possible. The chips you just referred to...don't exist."

"What?"

"Let me spell it out. I never stole from a client's accounts. I payed your bills out of my own pocket. Then you committed insider trading, money laundering, and a whole host of nasty things that I will effectively deny knowing anything about. I do appreciate, however, that you set it up so that your illegal activities would benefit my bank account more than yours. It was most kind of you."

"You lied to me? Just to...to get dirt on me? To control me?"

"I'm sorry, Kendall. You mentioned deceiving you, getting dirt on you, and gathering information that will keep you in my service and confidence for the rest of your life. Yes, I've done that. But which instance are you referring to?"

His words brought back a flood of memories. From that day forward, Jeffrey owned me.